The Golden Eagles are headed to the championship game of The Basketball Tournament after a 79-70 win against No. 8 Red Scare Sunday evening. The team is now just one win away from the prize money of $1 million.
After a productive first two games, Jamil Wilson led the way for Marquette with 23 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one block. Darius Johnson-Odom added 13 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Wilson and Johnson-Odom have been the leading scorers for the Golden Eagles, both averaging 17.3 points per game.
The Marquette bench also contributed, outscoring Red Scare’s bench by eight points. In three games, the MU reserves have outscored opposing benches 100-66.
Trey Landers and Darrell Davis found themselves at the top of the stat sheet for Red Scare. Landers had 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Davis had 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists of his own.
Despite entering the semifinal with scoring averages in double figures, both Ryan Mikesell and Ryan McMahon were each held to just nine points. It was the first game of the tournament where Mikesell and McMahon were held to single-digits.
Marquette will head to the championship game of the tournament for the second year in a row. The Golden Eagles suffered a 66-60 loss against Carmen’s Crew back in the 2019 TBT. Carmen’s Crew came into this year’s tournament as the No. 1 seed, but was eliminated by No. 16 House of ‘Paign in the Super 16.
This year, Marquette will face No. 22 Sideline Cancer in the final. Sideline Cancer has forced upsets in all four of their games, defeating No. 11 Team Hines, No. 6 Team Challenge ALS, No. 3 Boeheim’s Army, and No. 2 Overseas Elite.
In the semifinal against Overseas Elite, Marcus Keene had 22 points, three rebounds, and four assists, shooting 8-for-19. Keene has been the team’s leading scorer, averaging 20 points per game. Eric Thompson added a double-double, posting 16 points and 10 rebounds in his 32 minutes of play.
Sideline Cancer has played more games than any other team in The Basketball Tournament. While shooting has not been a strength for the No. 22 seed, they have been able to crash the boards effectively, averaging just over 40 rebounds per game.
The Golden Eagles will be looking to successfully conclude their tournament run this year on July 14 at 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.
This story was written by Nick Galle. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @thenickgalle.
